Blueberry Skies
by Fan-of-Insert-Sues
Summary: **Please read Strawberry Wine and Lavender Fields before this story.** Third installment in HM: Self Insert series. Anya and Chelsea are all grown up and are ready to go out on their own. They purchase a ranch on one of the Sunshine Islands and look to start their own way in life. Adventure is on the horizon... Would it be all that they hoped it would? ChelseaxVaughn and OCx?
1. Chapter 1

_(A/n) I was asked to post this story by LittleMissWolfie. My plot bunnies are few and far between. Most of the time it's a massive block that stays in my mind. However, when they come I have to let them run free. I can't promise I'll update with real life taking precedence but I will try..._

-0-

"Anya! Hurry up! We're going to miss the boat!"

"Hold your horses! I'm coming!"

Footsteps could be heard on the stairs, a rush of thumping boots that made their way two at a time down the steps. The woman who appeared at the foot of the steps was breathing somewhat heavily, a thick suitcase held in one hand. She was tall for a woman with long black hair that was pulled into a pony tail at the nape of her neck. The thick curls ended just above her shoulders, adding a sense of grace to her light tanned features. She wore a simple white t-shirt with a navy blue vest over it. A pair of matching jeans adorned her legs and a pair of brown work boots finished the outfit. Her dark brown eyes were sparkling with excitement as she studied the younger woman waiting for her in the lobby of the clinic.

The other woman was shorter with long light brown hair that fell loose past her shoulders and bright sapphire eyes that she had inherited from her father. A red bandana held back the pin-straight locks and it matched the boots that adorned her small feet. She wore a yellow shirt under an orange blouse that remained unbuttoned. A pair of knee length jean shorts that were folded at the hem completed the outfit, a pair she had actually gotten from the taller woman named Anya. It was eerie how much Chelsea looked like her mother at the moment...

"Are you ready? Everyone is waiting for us at the dock to say goodbye!" She had reached down to grab her own large suitcase, which had been resting on the floor, as she started bouncing in place.

"I am Chelsea," Anya said, moving forward to join her cousin in all but blood. She paused and looked around the closed clinic, a sad look playing in her dark brown eyes. She sighed and turned to look at her best friend. "Let's go say goodbye to everyone."

Chelsea gave a nod as she reached out to take her cousin's hand and pulled Anya out of the clinic in her haste...

-0-

The two had arrived at the beach to find dock was filled with the members of their family. As Chelsea pulled Anya behind her over the sand toward them, Anya couldn't help but study them. Of course there were her parents and her brother, Trevor.

Annie and Dr. Trent were older but they looked as much in love as they had two decades before. Anya's mother was leaning against Anya's father, her hand holding tightly onto his. Annie was dressed in her usual farm clothes, a worn pair of jeans and faded t-shirt. Her frazzled dark curls were pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck and they had yet to sprout any gray hairs. She still worked hard on Aunt Claire's farm and it only showed in the laugh lines at the corner of her eyes from being in the sun all day. Her father was a good head taller than her mother, his black hair not showing any signs of gray either. A few laugh lines around his eyes and lines upon his brow were any indication. He was wearing a white shirt with a beige vest, his khaki pants matching in color. She loved seeing her father out of his lab coat.

Her brother was standing beside their mother, he was three years her junior and he had reached their father's height, towering even over her. While their mother was a tiny little thing both Anya and Trevor had inherited their father's height however they had gained their mother's curls and lightly tanned skin. Her brother was still wearing a white coat from the clinic, a clear indication that he was following in his father's footsteps as a doctor. They all looked happy and sad at the same time.

Beside them, Aunt Claire and Uncle Gray, Chelsea's mother and father, were smiling at their daughter. It was clear that Chelsea was the spitting image of her mother while gaining her father's deep blue eyes. The light brown hair was inherited from both parents' side of the family, a recessive trait that had made itself known in their daughter. They were dressed as they always were, Claire in her plaid shirt and jean overalls and Gray in his khaki pants and jacket, his infamous blue UMA cap on his head. They looked older as well but happy.

The last to see them off was Uncle Jay and Aunt Elli, their cousin Stu (though he was actually Elli's little brother, he was closer in age to them) and his fiancee May. The twins, Ellen and Tony, were standing in front of their parents and looking sad. They were in their late teens and were identical. They had brown, curly hair and hazel-green eyes with lightly tanned skinned. They were Anya's blood cousins, an obvious fact since they bore the same light tan skin. They resembled their parents just as Anya and Chelsea did their own. They were a big, awkward and loving family and had been together all of their lives.

Now that they were leaving...

Chelsea must have been thinking the same thing because she had released Anya's hand and ran straight to her parents, dropping her suitcase in the process. She ran to her mother and father, throwing her arms around the both of them as she started to cry. They held their only child close...

Anya sighed heavily as she walked to her own parents, her dark brown eyes moving from her mom to her dad and finally to her younger brother. "It's time..." She took in a breath as she set her suitcase down and reached out to her mother. Though Anya was taller than her mother, she felt in that moment in time that she was small again. Her mother's arms reached around her and held her tightly.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," said her mother as she reached up to pull away a few black curls from Anya's shoulder. "I wish we had more time with you but that is how life is. It's time for you and Chelsea to find your own place in this world."

Anya pulled away from her mom and she looked at her dad, her throat beginning to grow tight. Her father was smiling sadly but he looked so proud. "It's not like we won't visit you and you can always visit us."

"You better visit, it'll get lonely here without you and Chel..." Trevor had reached out and pulled his older sister into a tight hug. "I'll miss you sis."

Anya returned the hug only to be pulled away and brought into another tight hug. "Don't hog her Trev! We have to say goodbye too!" The twins had hugged her at the same time and soon she was hugging her Uncle Jay, her Uncle Gray, her Aunt Chelsea, her Aunt Elli, Stu, and May...

There were so many hugs and tears but at the end of the goodbyes and the promises to write, the loud whistle from the boat signaled it was time to go. Chelsea and Anya took their suitcases and walked along the dock to board the boat. They turned one last time to the cries of goodbye from their family, waving to all of them. It was goodbye but it was also the beginning of a new adventure...

Sunshine Islands awaited the two young women. There, they would be starting their very own ranch. The excitement in Chelsea's sapphire eyes was contagious and as the boat began to sail away from the dock of Mineral Town, Anya couldn't help but feel excited herself...


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/n) :) Thanks for reading!_

* * *

**__****Chapter 2**: Welcome to Sunshine Islands

_-o-_

There were many times that he tried to avoid taking a trading route that passed that little town...

He was successful for years but for some reason, this particular Spring wasn't going the way he was used too.

Vaughn was scowling as he leaned against the railing of the boat, rather glad when it finally pulled away from Mineral Town and continued on its way to Sunshine Islands. This intense dislike for that town ran deep, even after all of these years. He kept his gaze on the water, his black Stetson hat pulled down low over his amethyst eyes. He was a very tall man, with silver hair that fell over one eye, and he had a very intense look on his apathetic face. He wore mostly black clothing, save for the brown suede vest, belt and cowboy boots that he wore. He was definitely a handsome one, the spitting image of his deceased father. However, while his father had worn a smile till the day he had died, Vaughn never smiled and some of his coworkers wondered if he ever did.

He listened to the sound of the other passengers as they moved to and from along the deck. He didn't pay them any mind, most of the other passengers had learned a long time ago to leave him in peace. Again, this particular Spring didn't seem to be going his way...

"Oh look at the ocean!"

He sensed someone come to a stop a couple of feet from his right, he didn't spare them a glance but he could see from his peripheral a delicate hand that bore a creamy skin tone. It rested not too far from his own gloved one and he could see a pair of red boots that had climbed onto the lowest rung of the railing. He glanced at the person who was standing beside him and found himself staring into a pair of deep blue eyes.

"What do you think of the ocean? It's so vast! I've never crossed it before."

The young woman with the deep blue eyes was smiling up at him, her light brown hair blowing in the rising breeze. A red bandana kept the pin-straight locks from her face but some of her bangs peeked out from it, brushing across her brow. Recognition rose inside of him as he stared at the woman who bore a startling resemblance to a farmer he remembered from Mineral Town...

"This is my first trip and I'm so excited! How often do you travel by boat?"

He didn't respond to her, he simply watched her as she turned her eyes back to the ocean and leaned further out, reaching up to keep her hair from blowing in her face. He felt a pang of worry at the fact that she was being a little reckless on the railing and he was about to say something when a voice called from just behind them.

"Chelsea, don't lean out like that! You might fall over and I don't want to tell Auntie and Uncle that I lost you the first day on our trip."

Vaughn glanced behind him just as the young woman named Chelsea jumped down from the railing. She skipped over to the tall woman with the black curly hair and took her by the hand. "Oh Anya! You have to see it! The water just goes on and on!"

The woman named Anya was smiling at Chelsea before her dark brown eyes caught sight of Vaughn. She froze for just a moment and the smile dimmed slightly. They stared at one another, Vaughn catching the sight of confusion in those dark brown depths, before she looked away and down at Chelsea. "I actually wanted to go over what we had planned..." she said, trailing off at this though her dark eyes had glanced his way.

"Oh that's right! We're supposed to go over that list." She let out a giggle before she turned her sapphire eyes his way. "Sorry for bothering you. I hope you have a good trip, wherever you're off to."

Vaughn didn't reply to this. Chelsea had already bounced off before he could even respond. Anya had remained behind, her dark brown eyes studying him a moment, filled with slight worry, before she turned and went to follow after her cousin. Of course he would run into residents of that town here on this boat. His luck hadn't exactly been going well for him since he started this trip. It had been sixteen years since he left that town with those memories, only fitting he would come across a reminder of his father's death after all of this time.

He remembered the little girls who had greeted him by the lake on Mother's Hill...

He remembered a little four year old who had given him a flower. He remembered a five year old whose expressive dark brown eyes had been filled with worry for him because he had looked so sad...

He had been ten at the time but he remembered those two the most. Mostly because they had been so young and innocent, so genuine...

Chelsea didn't seem to remember him but the recognition in Anya's eyes had been there. Did she remember him? Had her mother and uncle spoken of him? The wayward son of their old friend? He had blamed them for his father's death...

He had blamed them and in a way had blamed the entire town. He frowned and looked away, not wanting to dwell on the past anymore... He would just avoid them...

Yes, that would be best...

However, for the rest of the trip, he could not get the vision of those happy sapphire eyes from his mind nor of the dark brown orbs that were filled with worry...

-0-

"C'mon Anya!"

Anya laughed as she followed Chelsea off of the boat several hours later and onto the dock that belonged to the main island of the Sunshine Island chain, Verdure Island.

As they kept a firm hold on their luggage, the two young women were surprised to find a very elderly gentleman, dressed in patched denim overalls , a white shirt and with a wooden walking staff in hand, just standing there. His bald head was shining under the light of the late afternoon sun and he sniffed, his white mustache twitching. His black eyes were watching the two women as they made their way toward him.

Chelsea glanced up at Anya before she looked at the elder and gave bright smile. "Hello, I'm Chelsea and this is my cousin Anya." She pointed a thumb to the taller woman beside her, who gave a smile in greeting. "We're new here you see. We just bought this ranch and-"

"New here you say?" The old man interrupted, his mustache twitching as he sniffed again. "You're the ones who bought the ranch? I thought there was only one of you coming." His black eyes focused on Chelsea and then Anya before he sighed heavily and gave a nod. "I'm Taro, the one from the letters. I believe it was you that I had been writing to Ms. Anya."

A faint blush rose in Anya's cheeks as she gave a nod in reply. "Yes sir, but I had made it clear that it would be my cousin _and _I that would be working on this ranch... _Together._"

Taro sighed again, mumbled something under his breath, before he glanced up at Anya. He seemed to look slightly irritated at the fact that he had to look up at her rather then at eye level, like he could with Chelsea. "I think I remember something being mentioned... Forgive me, this old memory of mine isn't like it used to be." He turned around and started shuffling his way off toward the beach. "Well, don't stand there. C'mon you two. I'll show you the ranch."

They followed the old man as he led them through the main part of Verdure Island. There were several shops located here. Anya was a little disappointed that she didn't see a clinic anywhere on this island. She knew that her father would often come out to visit these islands to check on the residents.

However, they should have had their own clinic with their own doctor. If an emergency came up, what would they do? In the past, she knew her father had been gone for weeks at a time caring for the people here... She really hoped this would change. She may not have been a doctor but earning her certification in nursing hopefully could count for something here.

They continued to follow Taro across a sturdy wooden bridge to another island to the north. Here was Ranch Island, their new home and their new adventure. Both Anya and Chelsea felt their heart sink as they looked at the small, single room cabin that rested on this large plot of land. Taro continued on toward the small house and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a single key. He unlocked the front door and went inside. The two women stared at one another before following in after him.

Inside, it was just as small as they had feared. It was all wooden paneling and wooden floors. A single rug rested under their feet, a way for guests to wipe their feet. A single wooden table with one chair was off to the right of the room, there was no kitchen only a counter and a sink. However, there was a single door that looked as if it led to the bathroom. To the left there was a single twin sized bed, a nightstand with several books stocked on its surface and a little end table that, blessedly, had a phone. A calender could be seen on the far wall and there were several windows about, bare of any window shades. There was only one wooden dresser with several drawers. This was clearly meant for only one person to live in.

Taro let out a cough as he looked around the single room cabin before turning his gaze to the two women. "Well, I won't honey coat it for you. This place is only meant for one person. I don't know what you two have planned for living arrangements but we do have a inn here on Sprout Island. I'll have a word with Carol, the owner. I feel kinda bad for leaving you both in this position." He sighed and shuffled his way to the door. "I'm the first house on the right you come to when you head south across the bridge. Let me know what you've decided." He stopped and glanced back at Anya and Chelsea, both looking slightly dumbfounded.

"Welcome to Sunshine Islands, ladies," he said, before hanging the key to the house on a hook by the door and shuffling his way out.


End file.
